Rotterdam Apartment – Interior Design by Studio at No. 11

Positioned on a leafy street in Rotterdam, this apartment benefits from high ceilings, historical architectural details and a sunny disposition throughout the day. 

When the clients bought the property, they started the first round of basic, yet essential renovations but later, with the idea that they would stay in the property rather than move, they decided to invest in the interior and to really make the space work for them.

The client’s brief was exactly that – a complete redesign and renovation of the first floor of the apartment – and free rein. Our first discussion was to open the kitchen up, from that decision, it grew organically to reassign areas of the first floor layout.

To reposition the dining room adjacent to the proposed open plan kitchen area, reconfigure the entrance to that space by closing another wall, creating a wc, accessed by the hallway. The new dining/kitchen area made for a huge new communal space, by day – benefiting from the morning sunshine, but by night – a perfect entertaining space in the larger half of the apartment, with the burgundy grand piano as the first thing you see as you enter that space. 

We then proposed the living room flipped to the other end – by closing a though door from the office to the living room, the soon to be refurbished double sliding ensuite doors could then if required completely close the living room off from the kitchen/dining area – allowing for either open plan living, or a cosy living room with a new fireplace at night.

We poured a thin layer of concrete to create unity and one narrative throughout and we worked with warm neutrals, a gentle monochromatic scheme, and many shades of green throughout, except for a blast of pink for the wc, a surprise feature. 

Upstairs on the second floor we made fewer changes, additional joinery and small touches, but during the process, the client also celebrated becoming pregnant so along the journey we also added a renovation of a room into a nursery into the specification. 

A lot of work went into renovating existing woodwork, redesigning and replacing the wooden panels and hidden storage around the salon doors as well as designing a bespoke kitchen and a complete redesign of the layout and decor.

What my clients said…

“There are no end to the positive things I can say about working with Charlie! She takes a complex process (with seemingly millions of options) and boils it down to a clear design direction, with manageable (and fun) choices from well-vetted options. She has found and curated the very best craftspeople to work with, because they love working with her – as much as her clients do. From painting to textiles to serious construction, everything is of the highest quality and calibre. We could not be happier with the way she transformed our home, in both style and function.

With every project also come some emotions and dreams, and alongside her competent professionalism, Charlie approaches her clients with understanding and empathy through the ups and downs (of which, thanks to her, there are few!). Through every step, we felt like we had a partner who not only understood what we wanted from the design but also the experience of renovating our home. She preemptively communicated about things she thought we might be worried about or interested in, which made the overall process feel engaging, exciting, and never overwhelming.”

Do you have an interior design project in mind? Feel free to get in touch with me here.